Andy Burnham has pulled out of a keynote speech he was set to give on the morning after the local elections amid speculation of a Labour leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer.
The Greater Manchester Mayor had been due to address the second annual Festival of Childhood in Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum on Friday morning.
But on Thursday evening, organisers said he was being replaced by Caroline Simpson, group chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, in the line-up. A spokesperson for the children’s commissioner’s office confirmed to the Press Association that Mr Burnham will not be attending the event at all.
Reports have suggested Mr Burnham has a plan to return to Westminster within weeks and wants to challenge the Prime Minister.
Voters went to the polls on Thursday for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, as well as for local councils across England in the biggest test of public opinion since the general election in 2024.
There have been reports that MPs are moving to oust the Prime Minister in the wake of the elections, in a bloodless coup modelled on the way Sir Tony Blair was encouraged to make way for his successor Gordon Brown.
Reports of backbench plans to move against Sir Keir come amid rumblings of a potential leadership tilt by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner or Mr Burnham.
Allies of Ms Rayner are confident she would be able to gain the support of the 81 MPs required to launch a challenge, a number which Mr Streeting is also said to have met, though neither are said to want to be the first to move.
Meanwhile, Mr Burnham has been tipped as a party favourite to succeed the Prime Minister but he would have several logistical obstacles to clear before returning to Westminster should he seek to mount a bid for No 10.
The Greater Manchester Mayor has identified several seats where MPs are prepared to step aside, triggering a by-election which could pave the way for his return to Parliament, according to The Guardian.
The newspaper also reported Mr Burnham’s supporters are attempting to avoid a formal leadership challenge against the Prime Minister, and hope to kickstart a process for him to stand down after Labour’s results in the local elections.
Mr Burnham was earlier this year blocked by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election after the previous MP Andrew Gwynne stood down, citing health reasons.
The NEC, which included Sir Keir, said worries about the costs of running a new Manchester mayoral election and fear that Reform could take the mayoralty were behind the decision to block Mr Burnham.
Mr Burnham, who served as health secretary in Gordon Brown’s government, is also said to be preparing a progressive policy platform for government, according to the Guardian.
